- Avenge Us -
by MetallicarBaby
Summary: The universe is in complete chaos. Loki is dead, the remaining Asgardians have disappeared, half of the galaxy's population has vanished quite literally in a cloud of dust, and Thanos is missing. After such a devastating blow, the few living Avengers must find a way to pull things back together. But not if the God of Mischief beats them to it...
1. -1-

_"This is the Asgardian refugee vessel. We are under assault, I repeat, we are under assault- engines are dead, life support failing... Requesting aid from any vessel within range. Our crew is made up of Asgardian families; we have very few soldiers here. This is not a war craft."_

Alarms were blaring from every direction, red lights flashing and people running around like mad. A frighteningly large spaceship had been spotted rising in front of the Asgardian refugee ship, The Statesman, and warnings were quickly sent to the few remaining warriors to begin evacuation when Loki had recognized who's ship it was that had intercepted them and quickly explained the situation to the others. It was not a ship he'd soon forget...

Thor and Loki ran down the halls of the ship side-by-side, each carrying a small child in their arms as they tried to herd their people to the escape Pods. They'd nearly made it to the Pod docks when the vessel rumbled beneath their feet, the walls trembling from cannon fire. Everyone froze in their tracks, a few of them losing their footing and stumbling to the floor before being quickly hoisted back to their feet by another fellow Asgardian standing nearby. Thor breathed heavily beside Loki, his one-eyed gaze steeling. Loki had never seen him look so much like a leader as in that moment. A true king of Asgard.

"Valkyrie," Thor snapped, and the woman immediately turned to him, shoving her way unceremoniously through the crowd of people to reach his side. "Follow Loki. Take the people to the ships and launch immediately. I want as many brought to safety as possible," he instructed, prying the small, frightened child from his arms to hand the boy off to a nearby healer woman. Valkyrie opened her mouth to protest against not following him into the battle, but Thor raised a hand to stop her. " _Now_ ," the Aesir king interrupted, "The people need protection. Heimdal shall go with you."

Thor turned from the Valkyrie maiden, one blue eye quickly roving over the frantic crowd to assess the best plan of action. His thunderous voice rose above the din of the outside blasts, echoing off the steel walls. "Half of the strong and able, come with me. The other half, follow my brother and the Valkyrie in safeguarding the young and weak. They will take you all to refuge, and I shall join you once the threat is gone and all is safe once more." Thor unsheathed a sword from his side and raised it high in the air, a shout upon his lips. "For Asgard!"

"For Asgard!" Loki echoed, raising his free fist, and the cry was soon taken up by every Aesir tongue, and even a few enthusiastic stragglers.

"For Asgard!" Korg shouted, pounding a fist in the air as he added, "Go get him, better Doug!"

Thor took off at a run down the halls they'd just come from, followed by a few dozen warriors, all with swords raised and voices crying out in defiance of their enemy's attack. Loki watched his brother's retreating figure with a sense of dread. Transmissions had been sent across the universe, asking for help, but Loki knew it was no use. He knew Thanos- knew him better than most others. And he knew how this was going to end. In blood. They'd traded one grave for another, it seemed. His thoughts raced faster than he could keep up with, and it was beginning to give him a headache. Even _he_ didn't see a way they all got out of this alive... But at least he could do what he could to save the few who could go on.

Loki shifted the child on his hip, gently pushing the young girl's face into his chest in an effort to shield her from the horror and chaos going on around them, and ran down the halls after Heimdal and the Valkyrie as she shouted, "Come on, let's _move_!" Once they got to the Pods Loki hurriedly handed the small child off to Brunnhilde. "Here, take her."

"Where are you going?!" Brunnhilde shouted over the noise, taking the child and balancing the girl on her hip. The toddler began to cry after leaving his arms, but Loki stroked her hair soothingly and leaned in to murmur something to her under his breath- an old incantation his mother had used on him countless times to help him sleep after a night terror- and she promptly quieted and fell asleep, her head lolling on the Valkyrie's shoulder. The shield maiden couldn't decide if she was thankful that he'd calmed the girl down or angry that he'd used a charm on the child. With all the screaming going on around them, she was leaning towards the former...

"I'm going to help Thor," Loki answered, already turning to jog back the way they'd come. "Don't turn back; get them to safety!" he called over his shoulder and broke into a run, dodging the people crowding the halls to get to the pods. He was planning on joining Thor on the defense, but first he needed to do something. He darted to his tiny room on the upper deck of the ship and slammed the door behind him, dropping to his knees to search under his cot. Loki rummaged around and growled in irritation as he threw pieces of trash and debris over his shoulder. He hadn't had time to tidy his quarters up yet, and the shaking of the ship as the shields got pelted by Thanos' cannons didn't do anything to better the state of things either.

At last, he found what he was looking for and pushed himself to his feet. "Not the best, but it'll have to do..." he muttered, flattening out a piece of clean-ish paper and scratching on it with a broken stick of coal. Loki folded the paper neatly and laid it on his upturned palms, closing his eyes and muttering under his breath in an ancient language: One he knew well. Concentrating on his task wasn't exactly easy with the mayhem going on around him, but the spell was simple enough and he'd been in worse situations. After all, he was the God of chaos...

The paper on his palms started to smolder, and once he was done with the chant he opened his emerald eyes once again and watched as the note burned away completely in a shower of green sparks. "Time to call in my favor, Darling." Satisfied that his message had been sent, Loki threw his door open to run out, but a dark-skinned figure stood in his path, golden eyes seeming to gaze right through him.

"You called her." It wasn't a question. Things rarely were with Heimdal. He saw nearly everything, and he wasn't an easy one to fool, though Loki had managed it in the past.

"I did." Loki saw no reason to lie. He searched the Guardian's eyes, looking for any trace of anger or reproach, as he had often found there- Heimdal had never been a very good friend of his- but he found none.

The Asgardian only nodded. "Good. We need any assistance we can manage." He stepped to the side to let Loki pass through the door, and after a split moment of hesitation Loki exited and walked quickly down the halls with Heimdal beside him. Loki wasn't the least bit surprised the Guardian had defied Thor's orders to stay behind, and Loki could hardly berate him since he was doing the same. This day, at least, they were allies; united by their shared cause.

"I will go assist Thor. You retrieve the doctor and meet me there," Heimdal said, leaving no room for argument, though Loki had no intention of it anyway. Heimdal was better suited to help Thor see where the attacks were coming from, and Loki was better at convincing people to do things they wouldn't usually do; like go against an insane Titan in the hopes that you could beat him down. But as much as Heimdal could see with his gifted sight, Loki had seen something he had not, and he knew what would become of their situation. He only hoped he could bring the best possible outcome to fruition, with as many lives spared as he could manage.

Shaking himself from his thoughts and schemes, the Trickster nodded his approval of the order. "Where is Banner?" he asked quickly. Once the order had gone out to evacuate the ship and start loading onto Pods, Bruce had suddenly disappeared. Though with his...condition, he could hardly be blamed. He _had_ begun to look a little green when Loki saw him last.

Heimdal took but a moment to respond, his golden eyes catching the whereabouts of their comrade in seconds. "His room. Lower level."

The two men came to a T in the hall and each looked to the other and gave a nod before taking their respective paths. Heimdal to the left, and Loki to the right, nearly flying as he jumped down landing after landing of stairs until he reached the correct level and once again broke into a run down the maze of open doors. He halted in front of the only room with it's door tightly shut. No doubt the man had locked himself up in the hopes of keeping his Beast from hurting any innocents in their mad scramble for safety.

Since the situation hardly called for trivial things like knocking, Loki kicked the locked door in roughly, making Bruce jump back and collide with the wall. The mortal man eyed the Trickster warily and Loki noticed that the veins in his neck were pulsing a poisonous green, though it was obvious that Bruce was doing his best to hold the transformation back. "What's going on out there? Is this you? Did you plan this?" Bruce asked, taking a step closer and lifting his fist threateningly.

Loki had told the "Revengers" a _small_ part of what had transpired between himself and the Titan so he could make it clear to them just how dangerous Thanos truly was and convince them to run while they still could. Bruce was no doubt worried that Loki had decided to work for his former master once again, and though Loki couldn't exactly blame the man for his assumptions, he also couldn't help sneering. "If I were the one firing on the ship, do you really think I'd be here, fetching _you_ , instead of getting off said ship? The one man who can toss me about like a doll?"

"I won't hesitate to do it again."

That got an eye-roll out of Loki. "Then why would I be here, hmm? Why not just leave you to burn with the rest of them? Are you people really that dense?" He sighed in exasperation, pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment. "As I said, I'm here to _fetch_ you. We're being attacked; Thor needs help. And with who's coming, it'd be better if he had the Green Beast beside him, yes?."

The doctor hesitated. "And the others? The-the kids and everyone?"

"All safely boarding the transports as we speak, with your 'angry girl'."

Bruce nodded and moved to follow Loki, running a hand through his short brown hair in a nervous gesture. " Ok." He let out a deep breath. "Y-yeah, ok. Let's go..."

Loki raised his eyebrows in slight surprise. He'd thought it was going to take more to convince the doctor to help, but he supposed Banner had little choice in the matter anyway, since it was either fight or die. Loki turned back the way he'd come and began sprinting in the direction of Thor, with Bruce trailing just behind him.

Up stairs and down halls they ran, Bruce only barely able to keep up with the Trickster god in his mad dash to help his brother. They'd nearly made it to the cockpit when the ship lurched with a loud _**Boom**_ and Loki had to pause and plant his hands against the walls of the narrow hall to stay upright. Bruce, unfortunately, wasn't quite as steady on his feet and was sent sprawling, his skin flooding with green as he groaned in the effort to hold back the Hulk.

Loki looked back at him in alarm, his breaths coming quicker now. A blast that large could only mean one thing: the shields were down. Any further blasts could do considerable damage to the ship, not to mention anyone who happened to be near when they went off. His mind immediately went to Thor and his stomach filled with dread. They needed to hurry. Loki went to Bruce and pulled him to his feet none-too-gently, gripping his shirt collar tightly in both hands and glaring daggers at him. "Hold yourself together. Both of you," he said harshly. "If you lose control now we've no chance of stopping Thanos." Bruce nodded mutely and Loki dropped him, a deep scowl set on his face. "Good. Now follow close behind me and do as I say."

Loki started down the hallway again with renewed speed, barely slowing even to slide around corners. He had centuries of practice and could move quickly with skill and grace, but Bruce, who was neither as skilled as Loki nor as lithe, banged into every corner and tripped over his feet trying to pick up speed again. Loki burst through the doors to the cockpit, with Bruce just seconds behind him, and a panicked Thor jerked his head around at the loud bang of the doors to look across the room at his brother.

"Loki? What are you doing here? I thought I told you to-"

A loud explosion cut the Thunder god off, the windows behind him bursting inward in a fiery shower of glass as the steel shell of the Statesman ripped apart like tinfoil, flames licking the air. The group of warriors assembled in the large room were all harshly thrown from their feet by the wave of impact. Loki and Bruce flew back through the open doors and collided with the wall of the hallway, a sickening **_crack_** telling Loki that the Mortal had more than just the wind knocked out of him.

Loki lay on the floor, gasping for a moment as his lunges began to call back the air that had been stolen from them. He couldn't help thinking just how _very much_ he was fed up of constantly finding himself in situations like these. It seemed to him that he was cursed after all. A groan emitted from the crumpled form beside him and he was quickly brought back to his senses, and the situation at hand. Loki pushed himself to his feet and offered a hand to the doctor, not really waiting for the man to find his center of gravity again before jerking him up. Bruce put a hand against the cool steel of the blackened wall to steady himself, still gasping in air as he twisted his spine just slightly, realigning it again with a slight **_pop_** that made Loki wince.

Loki's gaze darted from Banner, through the ruined doors into the cockpit where he could make out bloodied bodies and twisted steel littered everywhere. He knew it wouldn't be long before Thanos and his minions came to finish the job, and reclaim their missing stone. Though he worried whether Thor had made it out of the blast alive or not, if he was going to make sure there _were_ survivors after this he had to think clearly.

"I have a plan, but timing is everything." Loki glanced back at Bruce and cocked an eyebrow. "Think you and Hulk can get along long enough to kill this bloody bastard?"

Bruce grinned in reply, and his face started to shift until Loki was looking up at the yellow teeth of the beast. "Hulk listen to puny god."

Loki's responding smirk would have been terrifying on the Devil. "Excellent."


	2. -2-

**Author's Note** :

 **Hello, lovelies! I'm terribly sorry for the wait, but it's been positively** ** _crazy_** **on my end and I haven't had a single chance to sit down and write. *Sigh*. However, the passing time has given me the opportunity to re-watch Infinity War now that it's out, and I recently edited the first chapter of this story to better fit with the details of the movie so everything works nicely and makes sense. So before you read this chapter, I'd recommend turning back to read the new version of Chapter 1 :)**

 **And once you've read that, enjoy this next bit!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel characters, nor any quotes you recognize (of which I will do my best to give the original artist credit, or make it plain where I got it from). I own only my OCs and the work I create. *In Snape's voice* Ob-viously... Lol.**

* * *

"Not until my signal, understood?"

"Ragh, Hulk _listen_!"

"Don't look at me like that; it's not as if you're the most _cooperative_ of the Avengers..." A glare from the Beast made Loki raise his hands in a placating gesture and take a slight step back. "Alright, sorry. Just stall him for as long as you can, and I'll do the rest. You should prove as a nice distraction for the Nīðings to keep them oblivious to me." He spoke quickly, not wanting to waste any precious time before the Titan showed up.

...but it seemed his comrade wasn't quite as worried about that as he was... Right as Loki was about to slip through the ruined doors and search for Thor to make sure he was alright, Hulk caught him by the shoulder with a large hand and spun him around, causing the god to let out a slight yelp of surprise. Hulk furrowed his bushy eyebrows and poked a large finger at the Trickster's chest. "What you be doing?" he asked suspiciously.

Loki jerked his shoulder away, jaw clenched and his lips pressed in a thin-lined scowl of irritation. "Just follow the plan and leave the rest to me. I haven't the time nor the patience to explain it all." Before the Beast could object, Loki slipped through the mangled mess of steel that once served as doors, separating the hall from the cockpit, and hurried into the room beyond. His eyes darted from side to side, searching the catastrophic scene around him for any sign of his brother.

As a prince and warrior of Asgard, Loki was no stranger to war, and had done his fair share of killing. However, even he had difficulty looking at the massacre surrounding him. Dozens of bodies lay on the floor in mutilated heaps...most of them bloodied beyond recognition. And these were _his_ people. Just _when_ he'd once again started calling them that, he wasn't sure, but he felt a protectiveness for them that he hadn't since long before his fall. For nearly four years he had been responsible for their wellbeing- he even knew some of them by name, having trained with the warriors most of his adolescence- and now... No, not even the Prince of Lies could convincingly say his tightening chest was completely caused by the acrid smoke and thin oxygen. The Asgardian warriors and shield maidens- plus a few gladiators from Sakaar that had more than proven themselves in the fight against Hela- had been slaughtered like animals, and he was furious for it.

The back wall of the room had been completely blown apart, with pieces of metal and bits of thick glass strewn throughout the room, and large pieces of the ship floating throughout the stars outside. Oddly enough though, nothing was being sucked into space through the gaping hole, and though Loki could tell the air in the ship had become considerably thinner, there was still oxygen. He narrowed his eyes at the opening into space, concentrating on it for a moment until he saw a faint shimmer near the edge of the ripped steel. Thanos must have put a barrier up, then. Though a few beings could survive long durations without air, like Loki himself, and Thor, Thanos' minions were not so lucky. And if the barrier was already up that meant Thanos and his gaggle would be there sooner than Loki had thought.

Loki resumed his search for Thor with renewed purpose, his actions considerably faster with the threat readily approaching. He looked under pieces of debris and in every crevice, his eyes darting over bloody bodies in search of the familiar red cape. He was just looking under a particularly large piece of twisted steel, his heart hammering in his chest, when he heard a faint groan nearby that immediately jerked his attention. Though there was moaning and soft groans all around him, he knew that voice. He'd heard it all his life. Loki jumped to the spot the sound had come from in mere seconds. He let out a heavy sigh of relief when he saw Thor, injured and stuck under a large chunk of debris, but mercifully _alive_. "Brother," he breathed, his chest shuddering slightly as he dropped to his knees.

"Loki," Thor coughed, his good eye wincing from pain. "I thought I told you to-to go with Valkyrie."

Loki laughed shortly, more to keep his emotions in check rather than from actual humor. "And leave you to go on a suicide mission on your own? You know the only reason you've stayed alive this long is from _my_ good sense getting you out of troublesome situations..." he jested, attempting a half grin. Thor chuckled at his younger brother, and Loki's brows furrowed in worry at the effort with which it took the older Prince to do so. "Stay still," the raven-haired Prince ordered, his tone coming off as more soft than commanding. The Trickster slipped his long fingers under the chunk of steel and took a deep breath. "I'll get you out." Loki began to lift the heavy metal, biting his lip as he strained his muscles to get the large portion of wall off of his brother. Once Loki had lifted it high enough, Thor dragged himself out from under it, and collapsed on the floor a few feet away. Loki was at his side in an instant, having dropped the metal once again, and ran his slender hands over Thor's form, his palms alighting with magic as he searched for any major injuries.

"I'm fine..." Thor grunted, pushing his brother's hands away. "Go check the others." The Thunderer was breathing hard and was obviously in pain, but Loki knew how stubborn his brother was, and how very selfless he'd become in regards to other's wellbeing over his own. Always the _Noble_ one... Loki sighed to himself in exasperation before pushing himself to his feet and moving across the room to began checking the many bodies for any survivors.

Loki hadn't moved far before a bright light shot into the room from the monstrous ship beyond, heralding the arrival of the Titan and his Cult. He moved his arms up to shield his eyes from the blinding beam, but just as soon as it had come it was gone again, and he lowered his hands to meet the gaze of his former master. He wanted to run away in fear, and charge at him in anger in equal parts, and it took everything Loki possessed not to do either of those things. Instead, he stood his ground, lifting his chin in defiance as he glared at the five beings who had appeared before him.

"Well, if it isn't the little godling..." Thanos sneered. "Still hiding behind an Aesir mask, I see. Afraid of the heathen within."

Loki's fist clenched, but he merely smiled in reply. "Come to bid me return? Have you really missed me that greatly?" he asked, his emerald eyes alight with their usual amusement.

"Hardly. I've had more helpful _dogs_ than you."

"Ah, I see the prune has developed a sense of humor." A chuckle escaped the Trickster's lips. "So I've gone from an ant to a dog? So nice to be moving up in the world..." He cocked his head just slightly, his mouth curling in a sneer. "But you forget, oh Master...Dogs have teeth."

Thanos tilted his head, mirroring Loki's actions, his gaze calculating on his former pet. "So they do. Until you beat and muzzle them. Or have you forgotten?" Now it was his turn to grin cruelly, and Loki repressed a shudder at the memories that came unbidden to his mind. _How could he possibly forget such horrors?_ The marks on his back and arms tingled, as if they could sense the hand that had put them there was nearby. It was becoming more and more difficult for Loki to keep his façade of indifference up.

Thanos laughed, knowing full well he'd hit a sore spot for the god. After all, he'd spent weeks, _months_ , learning all of Loki's weaknesses and how to press them _just right_ to make him squirm until he would do _anything_ to make the torment stop. Turning his head to face the hideous creatures behind him, Thanos barked, "Take care of the rabble."

The four figures moved to follow his order, two of them impaling any lifeforms they came across as they moved throughout the room. The biggest of the four moved to stand beside Loki with a sneer, as if daring him to try something, and Loki clenched his jaw in an effort to stand still when he saw Thanos moving towards where Thor still lay by the huge hole in the wall. The most hideous of the four- which was quite an accomplishment, Loki thought, since all of them were rather ugly- began walking through the mess of bodies and debris, his fingers clasped together in front of him as he began to speak.

"Hear me, and rejoice. You have had the privilege of being saved by the great Titan." Loki watched the _thing_ as he moved, and his breath caught in his throat when he passed a very familiar dark-skinned form. _Heimdal._ His eyes shone with triumph for just a moment before he masked his thoughts with a look of anxiety, though his soul leapt with what he could only call joy at seeing the man still alive. If he was alive, then perhaps his plan would play out as he had intended. He need only wait for the opportune moment.

Loki snapped himself back to the present, realizing that the inferior man- if he could even be called one- had finally ceased his droning, and he turned his attention back to where the Titan now stood over Thor. His fingers clenched and unclenched at his side as he bided his time, his heart racing with barely contained adrenaline at what he knew was coming next. ' _Next, Thanos would demand the cube, and I'll offer it to him after he threatens Thor. And then comes the tricky part...'_ He ran through the scenario over and over in his mind, recalling all he'd seen in the Tesseract earlier that day; everything he had not told anyone. He couldn't. Being raised by a woman of Vanir birth had taught him enough about visions that he knew better than to share them with others, for fear they'd turn out for the worse. No, he had not told Thor, nor Heimdal or the Valkyrie. This was his burden to bear- his task, given to him by the Tesseract. He alone knew what would happen in the coming days, and he alone could stop it from transpiring. If he survived.

"I know what it's like to lose," Thanos began to speak, turning away from the gaping hole in the ship's outer wall to look at Loki. "To feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail nonetheless." He stooped down to grab Thor by the front of his armor, carrying him as he moved closer and closer to the Trickster. "It's frightening. Turns the legs to jelly. But I ask to you; to what end? Dread it, run from it- destiny arrives all the same. And now it's here. Or should I say; I am." He raised his right fist and Loki saw with resignation that not only was it clad with his favored bronze gauntlet, but the damned thing already bore one of the Infinity stones: the power stone.

"You talk too much..." Thor choked out, struggling against the Titan's grip.

"The Tesseract, or...your brother's head. I assume you have a preference?"

Loki clenched his jaw, steeling himself against his foe. "Oh, I do. Kill away."

Even though the Fallen Prince knew what was coming, that did nothing to ease the pain that shot through him when Thanos pressed the purple gem on his knuckle to Thor's head and watched Loki with amusement dancing in his dark eyes. Still, the young god held the Titan's gaze, his heart clenching unbearably at the anguishing cries coming from his brother. His eyes began to fill with tears as he glanced down at Thor, and after a few short moments he finally he could take no more and his head jerked back towards Thanos as he shouted, "Alright, stop!"

"We don't have the Tesseract," Thor spoke up, breathing heavily. "It was destroyed on Asgard!"

Loki looked at his brother, a sense of guilt creeping up on him as he lowered his gaze away from Thor in the closest he could feel to shame, and raised his hand, summoning the powerful object to himself.

Thor looked at him with a mixture of disappointment and anger, though there was no surprise in his eyes, which only broke Loki's heart more, and his next words were like a dagger of ice to his damaged soul. "You-you really are the worst, brother."

The younger brother looked at Thor breathlessly, hoping he would understand one day. Understand that Loki wasn't all just tricks and betrayal, and that much of what he'd done, he'd done to protect their people; to make his family proud, to keep them all _safe._ Perhaps he hadn't always gone about it the right way, but he'd _tried._ "I assure you, brother; the sun will shine on us again," Loki vowed, gazing into his brother's eye with determination and willing him to understand. _It'll all be alright. I'm doing this for you._

Thanos let out a short chuckle of amusement at the words. "Your optimism is misplaced, Asgardian."

This was it. This was where it got complicated, and either saved them or doomed them all. "Well for one thing, I'm not Asgardian. And for another...we have the Hulk."

Thank the gods, Banner took his cue, and Thanos turned towards the Beast as he charged at him with a roar. Loki dropped the glowing stone as he dove for Thor, tackling him out of the way as Hulk rammed into the Titan with all his weight. With the four goons' attention on their master, Loki dragged his brother away from the fight and knelt beside him, pressing his palms on either side of the Thunderer's head. He closed his eyes and murmured a healing incantation under his breath, green energy flowing from his palms and seeping into Thor's temples, making him groan in pain for but a moment before Loki's spell began to ease the discomfort and heal the worst of his wounds.

Thor looked up at his brother and grasped his wrist, worry and gratitude warring in his sea-blue eye. "Loki-"

The Fallen Prince pressed his hand over Thor's, understanding in his own eyes. "I know." _'Do not thank me. Not yet...'_ Loki released himself from Thor's grip and pushed himself to his feet. "I haven't much time. Stay here." Even as he ran off, he knew his brother would not heed his orders, but so far things were going as planned. If all continued on this path, Thor would live.

Loki ran over to where Heimdal laid against a chunk of steel wall. Skidding to a stop and falling to his knees beside him, Loki gave the Watcher a sly grin as he raised a pale hand. "You're needed elsewhere, my friend." Heimdal's eyes widened as Loki's hand glowed a bright blue, and seconds later the _real_ Tesseract was sitting in his palm.

"An illusion?" Heimdal asked, his golden eyes darting over to the first Tesseract, that still lay on the floor where Loki had dropped it.

The Trickster scoffed. "Never reveal a trade secret, my friend," he replied, and Heimdal couldn't help feeling slightly uneasy about how talented Loki was getting with his illusions. Not even _he_ had seen through that one... With a poorly suppressed grin, Loki twisted the Tesseract in his grip, twirling it between his fingers. "I'm terribly sorry- actually, you know what, I'm not sorry at all; I've been waiting _years_ to do this. Goodbye." Heimdal didn't even have time to cry out, before a bright blue light enveloped him and the last thing he saw was Loki's impish emerald eyes before the Asgardian disappeared in a shower of blue sparks.

Moving behind some debris to conceal himself, Loki turned his attention to the Hulk as he was pounded down by Thanos. He called upon his deep reserves of seidr to cast an illusion of Heimdal, lying where the real man had been previous, and before Thanos could finish off Loki's new comrade, the Prince used his illusions and the blue stone in his hand to send Banner away, beaming him to Midgard to warn the mortals of the coming threat. And he knew just where to send him, after his little run in with the sorcerers of that realm. Though it was done begrudgingly, Loki _did_ respect the mortal man who had managed to get the jump on him, and he hadn't failed to notice his possession of one of the Stones. Stephen Strange was the perfect person to warn first. And now all that was left was to get Thanos away before Thor was killed.

Loki turned his attention back to the Titan and couldn't help snickering to himself at Ebony's grand words as he presented Thanos with the stone.

"No being as ever had the might- nay, the nobility- to wield not one, but _two_ Infinity Stones."

' _No one but me.'_ Loki thought to himself with a smirk. He watched the scene before him with curiosity for a few moments, before stepping out from his hiding place with his usual impish swagger. "If I might interject; if you're going to Earth, you might want a guide. I do have a bit of experience in that arena."

"Well, if you consider _failure_ experience."

"I consider _experience_ experience." And now came the unpleasant part. _'Dear Norns, please let this work...'_ Loki began moving closer to the Titan, his every move measured and planned. "Almighty Thanos, I, Loki; prince of Asgard...Odinson..." He trailed off for a moment, looking to Thor in silent communication. _'You can trust me this time, brother.'_ He conjured a dagger in his left hand, hidden to all but Thor, and continued with his speech as he turned his gaze back to Thanos, "the rightful King of Jotunheim, God of Mischief- do hereby pledge to you my _undying_ fidelity." He bowed before the Titan, and then in one quick movement he thrust the knife upwards in a killing stroke-

and froze.

" 'Undying'. You should choose your words more carefully..." Thanos reached down and grabbed Loki by the throat, lifting him off his feet in a strangling grip with ease, while Loki clawed at his gauntleted fist, choking as he struggled against his tight grasp.

' _No...no, no, no, no, no, no! I don't want to go this way... Not by him... Please,_ anything _but this!'_ half of his mind screamed in terror.

 _'But you knew this would happen_ ,' the other half reasoned, ' _You wanted it this way, did you not? To save him?'_

 _Thor._

Yes... Yes, that was true. He _had_ to save Thor. At all costs. Even the ultimate one.

With his last breath, Loki glared defiantly up at Thanos, refusing to give him the pleasure of seeing him die in fear. He was a prince, after all, of _two_ realms- and even in death he had his pride. "You...will never be...a God..." he choked out, and watched in satisfaction as the Titan's eyes filled with anger. He heard a snap, then, and felt his body go slack as his vision clouded with red.

It was the worst thing Loki had ever felt in his life: the feeling of being trapped inside himself, unable to move, to feel, to _speak_. All with the torture of still being able to hear his brother's muffled screams of anguish as Thor watched Loki die for a _third_ time. It seemed to last forever, a never ending torture of blankness filled with his brother's cries. Yet, just like that it was gone, and his life winked out in a suffocating rush of darkness that dragged him down until he could think no more. And the only thing left for him was to surrender to the drowning depths...

and _let go._

* * *

 **Well, there it is!**

 **Hopefully I can get another chapter up within a week or so, if nothing comes up. Don't want you to dangle from that nasty cliff-hanger too long! Lol.**

 **I can't tell you how happy I've been with all the favorites, follows, and reviews I've gotten so far on this. They mean a lot to me, and you're all amazing :)**

 **Have a wonderful day, my lovelies!**

 **Until next time,**

 **\- M. B.**


	3. -3-

The sound of quick footfalls was all there was to be heard in the quiet, sunlit palace of Vanaheim that early morning. A Pageboy hurried down the airy halls with a folded paper clasped in one hand, running past huge open windows with long, softly billowing drapes of sheer fabric that cast bright colors of filtered sunshine across the well-polished stone floors. The air was sweet with the smells of countless fresh flowers and herbs from the many outdoor gardens. It was a beautiful morning. All was calm, but for the young boy dashing about with a look of confusion on his fair features.

The boy came to a skidding stop before two large, ornately carved doors of mahogany and raised his fist up to knock, before hesitating. It was so early in the morning and the last thing he wanted to do was disturb his Mistress and risk her quick temper, but the situation was just so very _odd._ Never before had a letter appeared for her out of thin air, it's appearance heralded by a flash of emerald sparks before the neatly-folded paper rested upon the top of her correspondence pile. The sight had nearly given the adolescent a heart attack, and he'd immediately snatched it up and come running. But now that he was before her door he had begun to question if the oddity was really worth risking entering her chambers at such an hour. As if sensing his perpetual vacillation, the letter began to smolder in his hands and he let out a soft yelp before knocking firmly on the sturdy doors of his Lady's bed chambers.

It only took a few small moments before the door cracked open, as if by air, and a soft, melodic voice called from inside, it's tone low with sleep. "Enter."

The Page placed his palm upon the dark wood door and gingerly pushed it open, peeking around the edge to see if Her Ladyship was decent before entering. He doubted she expected the maids at this hour, but even so, she wasn't always one for proper decorum when she was in the confinement of her own rooms and he preferred to play it safe. "My Lady," he called out, his eyes adjusting to the dimness of the room as he took a step inside. He kept his eyes trained on the floor, both out of respect _and_ because he could barely see a few feet in front of himself, as the curtains were shut tightly and the only light was the low brightness streaming in from the door behind him. When the woman let out a slight hum in response, he continued, "A letter has appeared for you." His eyes flicked up towards the large canopy bed for just a moment, to gauge her mood, and he caught the movement of a fair-skinned arm shooting up in the air and moving to rest over her face before his gaze darted to the floor once again.

A groan was the only response he got for a few minutes, before she spoke up again. This time her voice was a bit clearer, and definitely more sharp. "You dare disturb my sleep for a mere _letter_?"

The boy flinched at her tone. "I-I'm terribly sorry, Your Ladyship, but th-the letter...it- it just _appeared_. Out of _nowhere_. And right onto the tray of important correspondence. I-I...I didn't think I should wait..." The boy swept his arms in a low bow, though he knew she couldn't see him. "I'm so sorry to have disturbed you. Would you like me to return at a later hour?" he asked timidly.

The woman sighed deeply. "No... You've already awoken me, might as well show me what all the trouble was for," she replied, though she sounded anything but happy about it. The Page's eyes shot up to gaze at the bed as her fair arm emerged from the silken sheets and motioned for him to stand. "But _do_ open the curtains, will you? I can hardly read a note in this light..."

Murmuring a quick, "Yes Ma'am," the Vanir Page moved to do as he was told, and begun to pull the long heavy drapes of deep green velvet open to let in the bright, Spring sunshine. The windows of her room overlooked one of the finest gardens on the estate and the smell of honeysuckle and rosemary drifted in as the boy pushed open the spotless glass panes at his Lady's request. He had begun to turn back towards her when his eyes caught the sight of bare, fair flesh and he quickly turned around again to stare out the windows, his neck growing warm in embarrassment.

Tinkling laughter sounded behind him. "Do turn around, little pet," said her amused voice.

The boy turned, but upon seeing her still undressed as she slipped out of bed he stared resolutely at the floor, the warmth traveling all the way up to his ears as he fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Ah, to be young and innocent..." she sighed with a short chuckle, and thrust her hand out to him to receive the note. "Come come now, I haven't got all day." He blindly held it out, still staring down at his feet, though he quickly jerked his gaze up to meet her own when he heard her clear her throat loudly. His sea-blue eyes locked on her poisonous green orbs, and he gulped as she rolled them in exasperation. "Alright, hand me that robe then, if you refuse to be productive without it."

He looked to where her perfectly-manicured hand had motioned towards, and quickly moved to retrieve the silk article from the back of her sofa. He eagerly handed her the clothing and could only let out a sigh of relief after she had slipped the smooth, plum-colored fabric over her arms and tied the sash to cover herself.

"There. Better?" She raised a thin eyebrow in question, her ruby lips quirking in amusement at his obvious discomfort. At his nod of affirmation, she once again held out her hand and plucked the letter from his grasp with lithe, long-nailed fingers. Her toxic-green eyes scanned the neat hand writing displaying it's address to her on the outside of the note, before they shifted back to the Pageboy. He thought he saw a glint of recognition in her bright irises. "And you said it just appeared?"

"Yes, Your Ladyship."

Her fair brows knit together, her fingernail absently tracing along the sealed edge. "How?"

"I-In a flash of green, My Lady," the boy replied, and then amended, "Green sparks. Like fire."

She hummed, as if in thought, and twisted the letter around to inspect all sides before letting out a sigh, her eyebrows raising and her pearly teeth biting her lower lip. "Well, I suppose the _worst_ it could do is kill me, hmm?" She looked at the Page in amusement, but all she found in response were eyes wide with horror. With a resigned sigh, she broke the seal with a flick of her nail and unfolded the paper to browse it's contents.

The teen waited patiently as her eyes roved over the neatly written lines once, and then once again as she absorbed it's meaning. Her expression seemed to grow grim, and her lips pressed into a thin line.

"I wish for my tea to come early this morn'," she commanded, twisting her wrist in a sharp motion, "Move along."

"Yes, My Lady." The young Vanir bowed deeply and scurried off to fulfill her request. As the door clicked shut behind the Page, the woman sat heavily on the side of the bed. A fiery head emerged from the silky sheets behind her and lean arms propped up a bare chest until a man's head rested on her shoulder.

"It was from him, yes?" a soothing voiced asked. A hum was all he received for an answer, her bright eyes closing with a resigned sigh. "You needn't go, My Love." He lifted a hand to gently grasp her chin and turn her face to his, his mercury eyes soft. For someone so sharp and harsh looking, he could be unbearably gentle with her. It was not a quality she was accustomed to, and still found it a bit unnerving sometimes. He could melt her hardened heart simply by gazing at her with those ethereal orbs.

She gave him a small, genuine smile, her head leaning into his touch. "Yes, I must." He flashed his ridiculously warming smile, and she silently cursed his hold on her heart. Only her beloved Aodhfin, her Vanir Prince of White Fire, could make her do the right thing- which was usually what she _didn't_ want to do...

"You must," he agreed, pressing a soft kiss on her jaw. She groaned in disappointment when he moved off the bed and pulled on his clothes, slipping on a pair of light linen trousers before moving to pull her up from her seat on the mattress. He pushed back her golden hair with a soft touch, and cupped her cheek gingerly, his left arm wrapped around her torso. "You go assist your friend, and I'll be waiting for you when you get back." He kissed her goodbye, his lips slow and his eyes closing as he savored her in his arms for a moment longer before he had to let her go. When he opened his eyes to meet her gaze once more they held a gleam of mirth in them. "Just don't show that Trickster _too_ much kindness, hmm?" He grinned.

The woman laughed, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips before giving his cheek a small pat. "I make no promises, Min Eld." She matched his grin with a smirk, and the Prince moved away to answer the servants' knock on her door. The woman gazed back down at the letter, her eyes once more inspecting the familiar looped handwriting. After a moment she raised her opposite hand, her palm shimmering a bright lime as an intricate green headdress appeared and rested in her grasp. It had been ages since she'd worn it. Was she getting soft, letting a Vanir prince bend her iron will so easily? Perhaps this would be a much needed break from her recently quiet life.

"Alright, Loki..." she took a deep breath, "Time to let loose the witch."

When Aodhfin turned around with a tea tray settled in his hands, his Love was nowhere in sight; all that was left in her place a blinding flash of lime-green announcing her departure. His lips turned up in a smile. "Tills vi träffas igen, min underbara Enchantress." _Until we meet again, my lovely Enchantress._

* * *

Rounding up the remaining Asgardians and getting them all safely aboard the escape pods had proved much more difficult than Brunnhilde had wanted, but at long last all four crafts not only had competent pilots flying them (herself included), but were launched and steadily gliding away from their mothership, albeit much slower than the Valkyrie was comfortable with.

Thanos' forces hadn't spotted their escape up to this point, but she didn't much believe in luck and just wanted to get the Helheim out of that airspace before the canons aimed in their direction. "Keep a tight formation," she instructed the other three pilots through the craft's radio device, her eyes locked on their course ahead. That is, until a bright blue flash filled the small ship with a blinding light, rocking the craft as the occupants screamed and jumped back in terror. Brunnhilde jerked her head to look back, her eyes wide as she let out a string of curses.

Heimdal lay on the steel floor, groaning softly and looking as if he was going to be sick. "What in Muspel's fiery depths?!" the Valkyrie exclaimed, her gaze whipping back and forth between the Guardian and their course through the stars. "How did you get here?" she demanded.

"Loki," he could only groan.

"Of course..." She rolled her eyes. "And the Princes?" she asked. "Are they coming as well?"

Heimdal moved to prop himself on his elbows, closing his eyes as he attempted to push away the nausea Loki had no doubt intended on giving him as payback for all those unsteady trips through the Bifrost. "I fear not. Not right away, by any means." He opened his unnerving golden eyes to meet her gaze. "Keep pushing on."

The Valkyrie nodded and turned her full attention back to flying lead in their small group of ships. However, she was once again disturbed in her focus by another blinding flash, this time of green, and she turned around with a snarl, expecting Loki. "I'm going to rip apart your _bloody_ _arse_ if you keep-" but she cut off when she was met with the poisonous green eyes of a different magic-wielder, clad in an elaborate design of black and green, with a headdress sitting atop golden blonde waves. The shield-maiden's eyes widened before narrowing to slits. " _You_."

Amora spread her arms wide, her eyes dancing with amusement at the look of pure hatred in the other woman's eyes as the Enchantress flashed a glittering smile. " _Me_." She tilted her head just slightly to the side, one eyebrow raised. "Did you miss me?"

Brunnhilde threw herself from her seat, barking a sharp "Take the wheel," to the nearest pilot, and stormed towards the Asgardian sorceress. She stopped when she noticed a limp form at her feet, and glared up at the taller woman. "What did you do?"

Amora lifted a hand and shook it once, a dirty piece of paper unrolling from sparks and hanging from her fingertips. "Following orders; same as you," she stated smugly, gesturing down at the limp form at her feet. "He asked for the Warrior Maiden, so I brought the Warrior Maiden."

" _He?"_

"Loki," Heimdal answered for Amora, raising himself to his feet with a grunt.

Amora nodded once, then shrugged. "I could hardly take her while conscious... She hates me."

"I wonder why," Valkyrie spat with a glare.

"Now look here, Little Bird-" the Enchantress was cut off by a loud _boom,_ and the ship lurched forward with a groan of metal, throwing everyone around like dolls.

"What the Hel happened?" Valkyrie asked a in small voice, turning with panic to Heimdal.

His gold eyes had gone blank, his expression grim. "It's gone," was all he replied.

Brunnhilde breathed heavily as she tried to get her emotions back in check. Her fear would fix nothing as a paralytic, but it would do wonders as fuel for her ever growing rage. She pushed herself back to her feet and glared at Amora as she, too, stood. "Are we expecting any more add-ons?"

"Not to my knowledge."

They felt another lurch in the ship then- a hit from one of the smaller guns on Thanos' ship. "Good. Then do what the Snake asked you here for and get us the _bloody Helheim out of here!"_ She shoved the other pilot out of the driver's seat and reclaimed it as her own, while Amora took stance right behind her and raised her palms straight out on either side, her hands emitting a ghostly green as she cast a shield on their ship and the three others.

"Hold your course steady onward, and wait for my signal," Amora instructed, moving her palms from the sides forward, to face out the front window. "Steady..." She bit her lip in concentration, focusing all her energy into their escape as she tried to ignore the shots pounding against her protection spells. "Almost there... Steady..." Another lurch, this time from the ship nearest their right exploding in fire.

"What are you waiting for?!" Valkyrie shouted. Right then a black hole begin to take shape directly in their path and slowly grew until it was twice as large as the pod, swirling with dark energy.

"Now!" Amora ordered, her chest heaving with uneven breaths of exertion. "Punch it!" She gripped the back of the other woman's chair to steady herself, her legs shuddering beneath her.

"Full ahead!" Brunnhilde called into the radio as she hit the throttle. They shot forward into the blackness with the other ships following, and with one more final lurch they emerged from the void into a brightly lit sky with large chunks of color falling through the air all around them into tall heaps on the ground. The Valkyrie squinted in both confusion and recognition, but her attention was quickly drawn away from the landscape around them when she heard a _thud_ behind her and turned to see Amora unconscious on the floor, a thin stream of dark blood flowing from her nose. Valkyrie's scowl deepened, her mood darkening by the second. "Wonderful…"

* * *

 **Greetings, my lovely readers! Words cannot express how horrible I feel about waiting so very long for this update, but I'm afraid it couldn't be avoided... As much as I dislike it, life happens. Lol.**

 **I'm hoping to begin updating more often this Winter, so we'll see how that works out. Fingers crossed!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and the reveal of the "mystery woman". I plan on adding many comic based characters into most of my stories as I think it makes them more fun and kind of separates my novels from the movies. If you have any requests for a particular character you'd like to see, let me know!**

 **Have a lovely weekend, my dears!**

 **Until next time...**


	4. -4-

"Is she alive?" The Valkyrie called over her shoulder, her attention directed on gliding between the maze of trash falling from blackholes in the sky. She wasn't sure which answer she was looking for, but she found herself _mildly_ relieved when Heimdal answered to the affirmative. As much as she disliked the witch, they might have need of her talents yet. A soft moan came from behind Brunnhilde and she glanced over her shoulder for a quick moment to see Heimdal helping Amora sit up slowly, the blonde's hands clutching her skull as if to keep it from splitting open. Valkyrie turned her attention back to piloting, guiding their craft towards the city with the two other pods following closely behind.

A few minutes later had the pods gliding smoothly into the the multilevel hangers of the largest building in the city of Sakaar, safely settling on a level that was mostly empty. By then Amora was sitting up on her own and had wiped the blood from her face, and Heimdal had turned his ministrations to the warrior woman lying on the floor, the brunette stirring with a small groan as he coaxed her from her unconscious state. As soon as her ship had touched down, Valkyrie jumped from her seat, slamming her hand down on the ramp release as she did so. She didn't give the occupants of the craft much of a glance as she rushed past, sprinting down the ramp before it had even touched the concrete. Once on the ground, she came face-to-face with her old boss, an entourage of armed guards directly behind him. He'd gotten here quickly... She thrust a hand out to the side, silently telling the Asgardians of the two ships beside her to halt in their exit of the pods.

The Grandmaster looked at his returned Scrapper with glee, his teeth shining in an unnerving smile as he regarded her. "142! I must admit, when you disappeared with those scrumptious princes and my grand champion so long ago I was a little worried you'd never return." He looked around at the three ships, their passengers standing uncertainly at the top of the ramps and peeking around the edge of the back hatches. "Yet here you are! Late, but with _so much_ new talent! How marvelous!" He spread his arms wide as if he were embracing the new refugees, though his jovial smile was grossly unsuited to the dangerous look that shone in his eyes. "Welcome, Welcome!"

 _'So long ago'?_ She had made her escape with the "Revengers" just yesterday... Brunnhilde drew a sword from the sheath at her hip and held it up to his neck, ignoring the threatening looks of his soldiers as they raised their own weapons. She couldn't help but notice the absence of his dreadful bodyguard Topaz, and when she took a closer look around the hanger she realized everything was different. How long had it been on Sakaar since she'd left? Turning her attention back to Grandmaster, she tilted her head threateningly. "We need a place to crash for a few days, and you're going to oblige." She pushed the tip of the blade into his skin just enough to prick his flesh, a small bead of blood pooling on the edge of the metal.

Grandmaster raised his hands in a placating gesture, but before he could speak, a velvety voice sounded behind Valkyrie, the tone bright with what she knew to be mock excitement, though she doubted the Grandmaster would notice. As long as his ego was getting a boost, he didn't care if it was genuine or not. "Oh, come now. There's no need for that." Both turned their attention to Amora, who had emerged from their spacecraft looking none-the-worse for wear, showing no hint of the fatigue she had collapsed from mere moments ago. As much as Brunnhilde may have disliked the woman, she had to admit that Amora was an amazing actress.

The Enchantress strutted gracefully down the back-ramp of the pod, with Heimdal and a very displeased looking Sif trailing behind her. "Do put your blade down, Brunnhilde darling, I'm sure he won't mind hosting us for a few days at all. Will you, dear?" She carelessly pushed away Brunnhilde's sword as she got closer and flirtatiously ran a manicured finger down the front of the Grandmaster's tunic, a pout on her ruby lips as she looked up through her lashes at him with her captivating green eyes that made most men swoon even without her enchantments. "I've missed you _so much_ , darling," she crooned.

The Sakaaran Emperor rolled his tongue in a purr, his hand coming up to run the back of his fingers down her cheek in a soft caress. "Mi Amore," he murmured, a new emotion sparking in his eyes that Valkyrie didn't like the look of. "I would give you all you ask and more..." His touch continued it's descent down her neck until his fingers wrapped around her throat in a tight grip, but to her credit Amora didn't so much as flinch. "But would you still do the same for me?"

The Enchantress stretched her neck, baring it to him in submission as she met his gaze with a boldness that her "allies" looking on couldn't help but admire. "You know you own me, my Master. Body and soul." She spoke the words so convincingly, and Valkyrie could tell she wasn't the only one that shuffled awkwardly at the coy manner with which Amora was behaving in front of them all, but when the Grandmaster smiled with genuine happiness Brunnhilde knew the Sorceress's approach had been the right one.

He released his grip on her neck and instead threaded his fingers through her blonde curls, pulling her in for a long, passionate kiss before letting her go, and Amora didn't stutter in her apparent "devotion" toward him once. "I could never say no to you, my delicious Temptress," he said lowly, a wicked smile playing across his lips. "Take as many rooms as you need. You'll be under my protection for as long as you stay within my borders."

Amora smiled brightly, one hand cupping his cheek as the other gripped the collar of his tunic. "Thank you, Master. Truly I owe you my life." She pulled him in for a quick, chaste kiss and then backed away from him, giving his cheek a small affectionate pat as she did so. The blonde turned to face the Asgardians waiting hesitantly on the ships and raised her voice in announcement. "Citizens of Asgard, this will be your sanctuary until your kings return. These fine gentlemen behind me will lead you all to your respective rooms to get you settled in." She gestured to the guards standing around the Grandmaster, who looked uncertainly to him for direction. When he nodded his head and waved his hand in dismissal, they immediately moved to follow their returned mistress's orders and began herding the shaken people out of the hangers and into the palace itself.

The Enchantress then turned her attention to the three dark-haired warriors who each looked at her with different levels of mistrust. "As the current leaders of the Asgardian people, you shall all have your own quarters. If you follow me, I'll show you all to your rooms." She looked at them expectantly, her eyes widening just slightly with meaning.

However, Valkyrie was in no mood to play games with her at the moment. "I think I remember the way back to my old rooms, thanks." She smiled at the blonde condescendingly.

"But dear, it's been _so long_ since you were last here, and I am an expert when it comes to the palace's layout. If you would just allow me?" Though she kept up her smile, her face tightened and her eyes darted in the direction of the Grandmaster before returning to the Valkyrie and she tilted her head just faintly to the side, trying to get her point across to the stubborn warrior.

Heimdal nudged Brunnhilde in the ribs, and at last she acquiesced to Amora's silent request, her eyes cold as she replied, "You do know best, Mistress. Lead the way." Her smile turned patronizing, the sarcasm of her comment clearly evident in her tone. But Amora had gotten what she wanted, and her ruby-lipped smile gleamed as she strutted over to the three warriors and began ushering them out of the hanger.

She turned to look over her shoulder at the Grandmaster, calling over to him before she slipped through the doors. "See you soon, my love!" He had grinned and waved enthusiastically before she disappeared through the sliding doors and she smiled in return, though as soon as the doors had closed behind the four of them Amora's face slipped into a deep-set scowl, her eyes twin green flames of burning hatred. "This way," she snapped, her heels making fast-paced clicking sounds as she marched down the corridors towards the upper floors. Sensing her ire, the other three very wisely followed behind quietly, though Valkyrie and Sif were quietly seething as well due to the situation they'd found themselves in.

* * *

The door of the large suite swung inward with a _bang_ , an irritated growl filling the room as a black, heeled boot connected with a vase and sent it skittering across the floor to shatter against the other wall. The drapes burst into lime-colored flames and the instigator of the "accidents" paced back and forth over the threshold of the sitting area, her fair face clouded over with anger.

"Hey, do you think you could cool the temper tantrum, Princess? I don't think your boyfriend will appreciate you destroying his property," Valkyrie said disdainfully, looking at the pacing sorceress as if she were a small child. She entered the room and flopped down onto one of the chairs in the sitting area of the chambers, her legs dangling over the armrest.

Amora spun around to face Brunnhilde with a smirk on her lips. "Which one?" she asked mischievously. When Valkyrie just glared at her, not rising to the bait, Amora scoffed and waved a manicured hand dismissively. "The bastard will never even know..." To prove her point, she made a twisting motion with her wrist as a green glow spread over her fingers, and the pottery and linens returned to their former state, seemingly untouched.

Sif sighed from where she stood beside Heimdal, just inside the closed door. "Is someone going to explain why I was abducted and brought to this giant waste-bin?" She looked between the three other Asgardians, her brows furrowed in confusion when her gaze fell upon the Valkyrie. "My head is still a bit fuzzy, but I don't believe I've met you."

Brunnhilde tilted her head around to face the shield maiden and quirked a single dark brow. "So you haven't." She turned her head back to face the windows, looking out at the falling garbage in the distance and ignoring the brunette warrior. It seemed she wasn't particularly interested in making friends at the moment.

Amora, who wasn't in the mood for petty drama- for once in her life- faced Sif with an exasperated sigh. She flung an arm out in the direction of the lounging scrapper. "Sif, may I present Lady Brunnhilde of Asgard, the last of the famed Valkyries..." Her tone was flat, her dislike of the Valkyrie evident to all. "Brunnhilde, Lady Sif of Asgard, the highest ranking female warrior of the realm." Her tone towards Sif was only marginally better.

Sif's eyes brightened, ignoring Amora's cold manner in regards to the them. Her brows rose as she nearly whispered in reverence, "Valkyrie?"

Amora burst out laughing at her acquaintance's reaction. She had known Sif from when they had been children, and knew full well of the other woman's fascination with the warrior maiden army of old, The Valkyries. They had been Sif's inspiration to become a fearsome warrior herself. "I apologize for crushing your dreams, Sif, but trust me; she's not as wonderful as you think she is."

Sif gave Amora a quick glare, who just shrugged in response and returned to her pacing. Amora could tell the Asgardian Warrior's interest had been piqued, but Sif kept her curiosity to herself. For now... "Alright. So why have I been brought here? Where's Thor?" Sif directed the question to Heimdal and Amora, but it was Brunnhilde who answered first.

"Probably blown half to Hel, by now..." Valkyrie mumbled to herself, her dark gaze far-off.

"What?!" Sif spun around to face Heimdal, her eyes wide. "What is going on?"

Heimdal winced. "Much has happened since our banishment, my friend." He sighed deeply, his golden eyes filled with a sorrow so profound that the women found they could not look directly into his ethereal orbs. "The Allfather has passed on, Asgard is destroyed, and much of her people have perished at the hands of it's princess."

"Princess?" Sif repeated, baffled.

"Hela," Valkyrie spat with venom. "Older sibling to the Wonder Princes, and Ruler of the damned."

"And what has become of Thor?" Sif asked in desperation and turned to face the golden guardian, her face filled with dread. "Where is our king, Heimdal?"

Heimdal's golden irises went bright, his gaze turning toward the massacre they had just escaped. He seemed pained as his eyes flitted about, looking at something none of them could see, but his shoulders slumped with obvious relief as he let out a small sigh. "Thor lives. He sits, now, among a band of guardians. They discuss the Titan."

"And Bruce?" Valkyrie prodded as she leaned forward in her chair, her face drawn with anxious worry over her green friend.

Heimdal turned his gaze in search of the scientist, and answered momentarily. "He, too, lives. He has found himself on earth with his comrades."

Valkyrie seemed to relax at once, her features slackening in her relief. She slumped back in her chair, her weariness from their recent adventures catching up with her.

"Then all is well," Sif spoke up, her shoulders sagging with obvious relief. "For now..."

The Enchantress's poisonous eyes darted over every member of their assembly before she curled her lips in obvious distaste, her perfect teeth gleaming in a sneer as she let out a bitter half-laugh. "How very like all of you, to conveniently forget the true savior of your wretched souls this day." She jerked her head around to Heimdal, meeting his unnerving gaze with her own dagger-like glare. "What of _Loki_? she snapped. She didn't have to see the others to know they had all started to fidget uncomfortably, probably feeling guilty for once more forgetting the younger prince. _'Good,_ ' she thought, _'let them wallow in the muck of their prejudices for awhile.'_ She, herself, had once cast aside the younger for the golden brother. And she had since learned.

Even Heimdal had the decency to look ashamed, if only in his vast eyes, before they focused once more on the distant wreckage of the Statesman drifting among the stars. "Loki is-" Heimdal had started, but he cut himself off with a sound as if he had choked, and his eyes went wide, their swirling depths seeming to frost over with silver for a moment before flashing back to gold.

Horror immediately grasped at Amora, clawing at her chest as dread pierced itself through her heart. "What?" she demanded, stepping closer to the Watcher. When he didn't immediately answer, she gripped the collar of his tunic and gave a single, firm shake. ** _"What has become of him?!"_**

Heimdal turned blank eyes to her, his guilt multiplying and pooling in them, and she didn't need the words to tell her what had happened. She already knew. "The prince is...he's dead. I'm sorry."

Fingers numb with shock released their grip on his robes, and Amora took slow steps backwards, her eyes unseeing as she stared blankly at the polished floor before her. She vaguely heard the others began to fight, arguing whether he was really dead this time or if he could be trusted. _Trusted in his own death_. But she knew. True, he had fooled them with his death before, but this time felt different.

Heimdal, too, stood silent, while Brunnhilde and Sif quite loudly spoke their opinions on the matter, and that was all the confirmation Amora needed. If the great Heimdal, with all his gifts of sight, did not even display a hint of suspicion, then there really was no hope. Loki truly was dead this time. And with Thanos still out there...they were next.

Amora turned to the doors, her expression blank as she moved to leave the room, but a firm hand on her shoulder stopped her. Not turning around, she seethed between clenched teeth, " _Release me."_

"And where do you think you're going?" an irritatingly familiar feminine voice questioned. Sif. Oh, how she wished she could have left her unconscious... Amora spun around, a dagger appearing in her grip which she then held to the brunette's throat. "I'm _leaving,_ " she hissed between her teeth, her eyes burning with anger.

Sif had no weapons of her own on her since Amora had been sure to remove whatever lethal objects she found on the warrior after she'd rendered her unconscious, but Sif's bearing was enough to make a statement all it's own. She straightened her spine, staring Amora down with the stubbornness of a mule. "Thor is not here to lead. Our people need us, Amora, no matter our differences of the past. We must stand together until our King returns."

The Enchantress leaned in close with a sneer, her voice lowering dangerously. "Thor is no king of mine. I came only to fulfill a debt, and after saving all your useless lives I think I've done my good deed for the century. I'm going home." She jerked her shoulder out of Sif's grasp and moved once more to the doors.

"You won't even avenge the death of your partner?" Valkyrie tried, her voice calculating, as if she was testing a theory. Amora stopped, but didn't turn around. "You've come this far for him, haven't you? If Loki was truly your friend, don't you think you owe it to him to go after the one who killed him?"

"If he is indeed dead this time..." Sif scoffed.

Amora did turn around at that, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall with her grief. "Loki _is dead!_ " she shouted, her voice cracking. "Don't you fools understand?!"

"Yes, and he's been dead before." Sif stated, her expression blank as she stared back defiantly. "Twice."

Amora sneered. "Oh, yes. But both times he wasn't really dead, was he? And Thanos was not loosing his fury across the galaxies with _two Infinity stones_ in his grasp, of not more by this point. If Loki, who has tricked the Titan before and effectively stolen two of his prized stones in the process— if a man who knows Thanos better than all of us combined cannot survive him, then tell me, dear Sif; what chance have we?" Her voice wavered at the end, her eyes truly questioning, as if she were looking for some spark of hope left but finding none. "If you truly want to protect the people of Asgard then I suggest you take your rabble and follow me to sanctuary on Vanaheim with Iduun, pray the Gods grant you favor, and enjoy what little life we all have left before Thanos finishes what he has begun and we all perish in the dust."

"So you're just giving up?" Sif asked incredulously, scoffing at the idea. "You know, you always have been a coward, _Amora Incantare._ " She spat out the name the Enchantress had chosen for herself as a young girl, sneering at the blonde in contempt. "If there wasn't a pretty boy you could woo into doing your bidding, then you run at the first sign of trouble, disappearing right when we need you. You haven't changed a bit in the last thousand years!"

"And you're still wantonly chasing after Thor, hoping if you gain his favor he'll finally warm your bed!" Amora raised her voice, and Sif's mouth snapped shut, her cheeks flooding with red. "You and I both know Loki's knowledge in the Mystic Arts is unparalleled by any living being. He was a master in Arcane magic, and I am an enchantress, _not_ a warrior. Not like him. How could I stand a chance if he- if he's..." Amora trailed off, swallowing back the lump in her throat. She looked around at the three Asgardians; the last remnants of her old life. Her chest rose and fell in rapid breaths, her anger beginning to cool as her tone softened. "If you're going after Thanos, then I wish you luck. I hope you all find seats in Valhalla. But I'm going home, where I belong."

With that, she left the room, and the door swung shut behind her with a soft _click_. None of them moved to stop her. They had all fallen silent, their own fear and grief washing over them in waves now that the adrenaline no longer held it at bay. Even if they did manage to find Thor once more, what could they possibly do to stop the coming war?

Amora had barely made it inside her old chambers and shut the doors before she collapsed against them. Her head was swimming from the energy she'd expended on her spells, her chest heaving with uneven breaths as she squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to let the tears come. She gave herself a few minutes to calm down before she opened her eyes again. She pulled Loki's note from the top of her corset where she'd stuffed it for safe keeping, and glanced down at the familiar scrawl of the letters.

 _'He found me. Go to coorinates xxxx. Bring Sif. You'll know what to do. ~L'_

"Oh, Loki..." Amora sighed softly. Her long fingers curled around the note, her eyes becoming distant. Her next question came out as a whisper- a plea for guidance in the abyss she'd found herself in, "What am I to do now?"

* * *

Meanwhile, thousands of lightyears away was the aftermath of a great explosion. Though this was the site of so many deaths just moments ago, all was now quiet. Not a breath stirred among the bodies that drifted away through space. Among those bodies, a dark form floated amid the glistening stars and charred debris, ebony locks of hair drifting about like wisps of shadow. There was something graceful about their features; something only a deep sleep- or possibly death- could bring. A peacefulness that had been foreign on that face for so many centuries. This was the body of a prince of two great realms. A man, who, after a thousand years of pain and chaos, had found his Valhalla, at long last. He had spent a long life trying to find his way- lost to his meaning in the universe. But at the end, he had found it. He had known he would do or give anything, even his very _soul_ , if it meant keeping his brother safe.

.

 _And he wasn't about to let **anything** get in the way of that._

 _._

 _._

 _._

A movement stirred amidst the stars. A slight flutter.

.

Limbs frozen from the cold vacuum of space, shifted.

.

Eyelashes shivered before snapping open, revealing red orbs glowing with life.

.

Blue lips parted, a cloud of frost exhaling from frozen lungs.

.

.

.

And a face unmoving from death, smirked.

* * *

 **Only 11 days since my last update! I'd say that's an improvement... Lol.**

 **I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter, and thank you so very much to everyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited my story ^-^**

 **Your support means the world, and your kind words do so much to inspire my writing.**

 **Thank you, and farewell until the next chapter!**


End file.
